Our 174-acre campus is beautiful and serene, and our creative environment is relaxed, fun, and genuine. We have outstanding facilities for theater, fine art, dance, and rock music. Campers choose their own activities, and our caring counselors, gifted artists themselves from all over the world, guide and teach them individually and in creative ensembles and bands. Our campus is spread out so that campers walk through nature every day. We work, play, eat, and rest well.

One of the reasons we are the #1 rated arts camp in North America is that we make sure that our vision and philosophy are a match with each and every child who comes to us.

ARTS CAMP CAMPUS & FACILITIES 

Ballibay’s breathtaking campus and outstanding facilities are a perfect compliment to the great kids and amazing, talented staff we attract each summer.  Situated on 174 mountaintop acres, we actively use about 100 acres, leaving a beautiful wooded buffer around us.  We take great pride in keeping the grounds carefully manicured while still maintaining the atmosphere of a rustic, wooded traditional summer camp.

Campers live in rustic cabins with modern amenities such as hot and cold running water, electricity, and private indoor bathroom facilities.

Our program facilities include three theaters, four dance studios, an art building with ceramics, painting and drawing, photography, fabrics, and craft studios, a separate printmaking facility, multiple rock music studios, an instrumental and vocal music building.

We have a beautiful garden and a spacious dining hall, tennis courts, two horseback riding rings plus trails, a sports field, and a pool. We also have a lake for boating and fishing.

Our theaters are equipped with state-of-the art lighting and sound technology, and we shoot every show using a professional four-camera live-switched HD video system.

Our rock studios have amps, keyboards, PA systems, and drum kits, and we are equipped for professional studio and live multichannel audio recording.

While there is no WiFi or general internet access on campus, campers do have daily access to email computers at the camp office where they can access Gmail.

A Typical Day

• SPECIAL MORNING PROGRAMS
• 8:15 • BREAKFAST
• 9:30 - 12:00 • MORNING ACTIVITIES
• 12:00 • CLEAR THE HILL
• 12:30 • LUNCH
• 1:20 - 2:20 • REST PERIOD
• 2:35 • ONE-MINUTE PERFORMANCE
• 3:00 - 5:00 • AFTERNOON ACTIVITIES
• 5:00 • THE FIVE O'CLOCK SPECIAL
• 5:30 • DINNER
• 6:30 - 7:00 • FREE TIME AND SPORTS
• 7:00 - 8:00 • EVENING ACTIVITIES
• 8:00 • BACK TO CABINS
• 8:40 • NIGHT-TIME PROGRAM
• BACK TO CABINS
• LIGHTS OUT

A Philosophy of Great Camp Food

At Ballibay we believe in real food. We cook as much as possible from scratch and source our ingredients from the wonderful farms and local companies that surround us in the bountiful Endless Mountains of Northeastern Pennsylvania.  We also grow a meaningful portion of our produce from our own garden tended by campers and staff, on sun-drenched terraces right outside our dining hall. We know where the food we feed our campers and staff comes from, every step of the way.

We hire top chefs with excellent training and experience to provide a seasonal yet diverse and international menu. By cooking from scratch, our chefs can tailor the menu to fit your child’s dietary needs.  We believe strongly that every camper should be able to participate fully in every meal every day, regardless of dietary restrictions or allergies.  We therefore "deconstruct" our entrees and dishes - a tray of plain pasta with several sauces, including vegan and gluten free, various meats and sides.  This allows campers to build their own entree and enjoy essentially the same meal, regardless of their dietary restrictions. We accommodate all types of food allergies and related restrictions. Please feel free to contact the office to discuss specific dietary or allergy issues with our chefs and medical staff.

Campers wishing to be involved in the food can sign up for the educational kitchen coop, where each activity period a small group of campers learns hands-on food preparation and participates in the creation of the camp's snacks and desserts.  The entire camp then enjoys the fruits of their labor at snack and meal times.

Similar to the educational kitchen coop, campers may elect to help in the maintenance and harvesting of our camp garden. We grow everything from herbs to pumpkins, grapes to potatoes. Through this program campers gain an appreciation for where food comes from and how it makes it from the soil to their plate.

At least once per session the children from each cabin cook a dinner together at our outdoor campsite. Our food education staff person consults with the campers and counselors of each cabin on what foods to cook and the best techniques for a safe and delicious meal.

Our snack table is set up in the camp dining hall between meals, and is a great opportunity for campers to meet and talk with the camp chefs, and even volunteer in aspects of the camp's food preparation. Members of the camp community can do some informal food learning between meals as they talk with friends. There will often be simple jobs campers and staff can help with, such as making cookies or snapping beans. As local food maven Alice Waters notes, children try a more diverse range of foods when they are active in all stages of the cooking process. From volunteering in the garden, talking to our chefs and helping the preparation, our campers expand their palates and learn what it means to have a healthy diet.

Through the journey of growing food and cooking together, our staff and campers support their community and healthy relationships that last a lifetime.

Theater Camp

Ballibay has been a theater camp since the mid-1970s, and we added musical theater to our program in the 80s. Our productions are fully-mounted spectacles, with lights, sets, sounds, brilliant costumes and make-up, and excellent performances by campers of all ages; but we arrive at these productions through a daily process of exploration and cooperation. We cast our shows to give each camper the learning experience best suited to them, and every rehearsal is an opportunity for creativity and growth. We encourage kids to get to know the performing arts from onstage and backstage perspectives. We have a top-flight technical theater and stagecraft program.

For campers with a major interest in theater, we recommend our 3 or 4-week sessions. During these sessions we stage full-length plays, musicals, and classical pieces. Campers can choose to fill their days with several shows, or balance their participation with any of our other activity areas.

We also offer one-act plays and staged readings throughout the summer, open to all campers, and conveniently scheduled for campers enrolled in our 2 week Rock Farm and Farm Arts programs who wish to participate in theater. Campers in the Dance Intensive also have some time for theater; please contact us to discuss how your camper can participate in both the Dance Intensive and theatrical productions.

Every camper who wishes to be involved in theater will be cast in a show and have an opportunity to perform on stage.

Theater Camp Auditions

Each camp session begins with an opportunity to audition for plays and musicals, and a “theater interview,” during which a member of the staff sits with each camper individually to discuss his or her interest in theater. Based on the informal audition and the campers’ preferences, plays are cast and begin rehearsal immediately.

Theater Camp Schedule

Plays and musicals rehearse either in the morning (9:00-Noon) or afternoon (3:00-5:00) activity period. Campers who opt for a “full day” of theater will rehearse during both of these activity times, leaving their evening activity period (7:00-8:00) free to explore other camp programs.

Rock Camp

The original rock camp, we've been working with kids and bands for over 25 years. We have great facilities, top-notch staff, and a non-competitive, individual-choice philosophy that meets every young musician at his or her own level. Our rock campers have space and time to refine their skills, explore new instruments and styles, and learn about new music from friends and share the music they love. Many of our campers write songs or song lyrics, and camper bands are constantly forming to arrange, refine, and record camper-written material.

Experienced guitarists, drummers, and bass players wanting to work with a staff-coached bands towards a performance in a band night will be most interested in our 2-week Rock Farm sessions. Campers work daily on several songs with their primary bands, can form secondary bands with their friends. Band rehearsals start the second day of camp, and bands get really tight by the end of the two weeks. 

Campers in all sessions, and of all experience levels, can take lessons in our rock program, form rock bands with other campers, and perform in weekly camper cabarets and daily “5:00 specials.” Campers from all sessions are invited to be vocalists, keyboard players, and instrumentalists for our band night performances.

Rock Music Sessions I and II (for experienced guitar, bass & drum players)

We offer what many experienced young rockers consider the perfect balance of freedom and structure in our two-week Rock Music Session. Rock Music Session I & II is exclusively for experienced Guitar, Drum, and Bass students. Vocalists and keyboardists must register for a different session but can still play in bands.

Bands

After informal auditions shortly after campers arrive, staff-coached bands begin playing together on the first full day of camp. Band meetings are not just rehearsals: they are an opportunity to work on many aspects of rock musicianship: listening, collaboration, and improvisation; stage presence and performativity; arrangement, style, and dynamic range. Bands work on several songs suggested by the coaches and the campers themselves. Campers are involved in at least two bands, both staff-coached. Staff-coached bands perform in a spectacular band night at the end of each two-week session. Camper-organized bands perform in nighttime “Camper Cabarets,” and at the “5:00 Specials” which are impromptu performances held each day before dinner.

Lessons

Campers receive lessons on their primary instrument, and can opt for lessons on other rock instruments as well. Through the instrumental and vocal music department, rock campers can also take voice, keyboard, woodwind, and brass lessons.

The rest of campers’ time is self-directed: they can dedicate their entire day to rock: forming more bands and projects, participating in impromptu jam sessions, practicing, recording, composing; whatever direction their creative vision takes them! They are also free to get involved with one or several other camp programs: theater, art, music, dance, and film are all available to every camper.

Art Camp

Ballibay was originally a horseback riding and visual art camp. Founded in 1964 by visionary artist and educator Dottie Jannone, our open-studio learning format remains a unique opportunity for the serious young artist, and is great for campers of all ages and experience levels wishing to explore the visual arts.

There is a casual, relaxed manner about our art studios, packed with materials, run by an experienced, creative staff. Visiting artists join us every two weeks to teach, inspire, and design unique projects.

Our two studio buildings include studios for painting and drawing, ceramics, hand crafts and fabrics, photography, and printmaking, including a darkroom for photo-silkscreen. The art program also has a dedicated blackbox theater for puppetry, animation, light art, video, and installation.

For campers seeking a 2-week visual arts experience, the Visual Arts Session I & II are an ideal choice. Campers enrolled in the Visual Arts Session programs work as much as they want in the studios with the guidance and assistance of visiting artists and studio staff, and explore the many other activities offered at camp.

Our studios are open to all campers all day, every day. Campers in the 3 and 4-week programs, Rock Music Session I & II, and the Dance Intensive can come into the studios any time their schedule allows, to participate in structured lessons and classes, to begin a new project, or to continue work on an ongoing project. Staff are always available to provide instruction, assistance, and inspiration.

Painting and Drawing

Flooded with light, slightly elevated on an old rock foundation, the painting and drawing studio provides a panoramic view of the campus. At any time of day, there are campers in the studio, some working in concentrated silence, others chatting casually. Our instructors move from camper to camper, offering gentle, individualized guidance.

Often, the camp’s animals and natural scenery find their way into the campers’ work, inspiring them to ask questions about the skills necessary for representational drawing and painting.

Ceramics

A naturally cool spot on the lower level of a turn-of-the century barn, our rustic ceramics studio decorated with Faux Lascaux drawings is a favorite spot on campus. The fascination with one of the most ancient and most basic of human arts, the creation of a vessel, is particularly intense in children. Our campers will spend many hours working on their clay containers, designing a basic form, creating decorations, selecting and applying glazes. Other campers lean more towards making sculptures with clay, with works ranging from small animal figurines to entire cities.

Our ceramics wheels are busy day and night, scheduled to maximize camper access; while the hand-building table is a constantly shifting group of kids casually chatting and working on a wide range of projects, with a staff person always close by to offer materials and tools, assistance, and inspiration.

Photography

In the photography studio, campers learn the basics of traditional 35mm black and white photography: using a camera, developing film, and printing. Campers interested in photography will be seen crisscrossing the campus holding manual SLR cameras in search of subjects for their images. Plants, insects, the star-glazed night sky, frogs and lizards, cats, horses, and their fellow campers; all will be eagerly considered by children thrilled by the magic of photography.

Printmaking

Our excellent printing studio, rebuilt and expanded in 2011, is fitted with the tools and equipment necessary to make silkscreens, linoleum prints, wood cuts, and mono-prints. A popular program, many campers create editions of prints, silk-screened clothing, and fabrics to exhibit on campus, take home, and give to friends.

Fibers and Hand-Crafts

Our studio for fibers and hand crafts is a joyous jumble of materials, colors, and projects. Puppets, jewelry, clothing, sculpture, found-object assemblage, sewn and embroidered objects, and more are freely explored in this large studio packed with materials. Felt, wool, yarn, wire, wood, leather, beads, and countless other materials find their way into the varied output of this studio, while other media pass through the studio and are transformed: sewn photographs, wrapped objects, painted garments, printed fabric costumes for ceramic-headed puppets.

Dance Camp

Our dance camp program was created by camp director, dancer, and choreographer Kristin Alexander, a professor of dance at the College of Charleston, and artistic director of the Annex Dance Company. We offer daily classes at all levels in ballet, jazz, modern, tap, and hip-hop, and many performance opportunities in our dance concerts, camper cabarets, and 5:00 special programs.

Experienced dancers seeking an immersive dance camp experience will be most interested in our Dance Intensive, a 2-week program offered several times each summer. This program fills campers’ days with a structured curriculum while allowing some time for them to explore other camp activities. It is an incredibly productive two week camp for the serious young dancer.

Campers in any session can also participate in our program; we offer beginning, intermediate, and advanced classes in all styles. We put on amazing concerts several times each summer, showcasing the work from all of our classes and programs, and the Intensives. Campers also perform in weekly camper cabarets and daily “5:00 specials.”

The Dance Intensive

The Dance Intensive is a 2-week camp session combining daily technique, composition, and improvisation classes with explorations of non-dance movement styles and dance-on-camera projects. Campers can customize their technique classes to study at any level in the program -- an advanced tapper may want to take a beginning ballet class, and we can accommodate them -- however the composition and improvisation classes are taken as a group, and campers learn to collaborate across styles and backgrounds.

Artist-In-Residence

A professional dance company in residence works with campers daily, with members of the company teaching some of their classes, and over the course of the two weeks incorporating them into a piece in the company’s repertoire.

Dance On Camera

Our unique dance-on-camera program is one of the only opportunities anywhere for children to participate in dance projects created specifically to be shot and edited into dance films. Campers and staff collaborate on these projects which result in beautiful, fascinating films that escape the stage and allow dance to be created in all sorts of settings and environments, seen from a multiplicity of view-points through the camera eye, and given new temporal possibilities through the magic of editing.

Additional Movement Classes

Non-dance movement classes are an important minor component of the Dance Intensive. We invite instructors in movement styles that, while not typically thought of as dance, expand the young dancer’s notion and experience of movement, and, alongside traditionally “dancerly” movements, become part of his or her physical vocabulary. Capoeira, Tai Chi, Qigong, and Aikido are just a few of the movement styles that we’ve explored with campers, and we try to offer new styles each summer, and each session.

Campers frequently come to camp for our 3 or 4-week sessions, and opt to participate in the Dance Intensive curriculum as part of their longer stay. This is a decision that campers can make before or after they arrive at camp. It is a popular choice because the 2-week Dance Intensive program is so busy that campers have little time to try other areas of camp. Coming for a longer session gives them time before or after the dance intensive to really engage with some other programs.

Film, Video and Technical Theater

In Technical Theater & Media we have world-class programs designed by the camps’ Executive Director, John J.A. Jannone. John has been, for over 15 years, a Professor of Television and Radio, and founder of the M.F.A. program in Performance and Interactive Media Arts (PIMA), at Brooklyn College. Campers in all of our camps learn hands-on technical theater and multi-camera television production as lighting and sound operators, stage managers, stage crew, camera operators, vision mixers/technical directors, and floor managers for our many live productions. It is often the case that we have more campers backstage than on-stage! Our program is open to campers of all ages and experience levels: beginners are given realistic hands-on opportunities, while more advanced campers are challenged to expand and explore, in the realms of lighting, sound, set, and costume design. We also offer traditional single-camera filmmaking and editing to interested campers.

Sports and Swimming

We have an active waterfront program that includes a large swimming pool and an on-campus lake that is used for boating or fishing. Our waterfront is supervised by qualified lifeguards and assistants. During our orientation program, each camper takes a swimming test so that his or her skills can be ascertained, and we can explain what our waterfront program can do to upgrade skills. Swimming instruction is scheduled individually with each camper. Recreational or ‘general swim’ is offered twice daily during our regular morning and afternoon activity periods, and anyone who wishes to participate may. The water in our pool is checked weekly by a state approved laboratory, and daily by our staff. Both areas are inspected and approved annually by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Every day we offer a different sporting activity or game after dinner. We have tennis courts and a large sports field for softball, volleyball, badminton, soccer and many other team and individual sports. In keeping with our non-competitive orientation, the emphasis in our sports program is individual involvement, improvement of skills, and fun.

Horseback Riding

Horseback riding is a popular activity with many campers. We have horses and English and Western tack on campus for use in our daily riding program. In our program there is room for the beginner, the camper wishing an occasional ride, and the advanced student who desires in-depth training in equitation and horse care. There is an orientation concerning safety and program goals for those campers who choose riding. After appropriate familiarization and practice in our spacious riding ring, those who qualify often take trail rides.

Instumental and Vocal Music

In our Music program, campers may elect instrumental and vocal lessons, with opportunities to participate in numerous ensembles. Our instrumental program offers piano, brass, string, and woodwind instruction. Campers study classical, popular, and Broadway material. We have a variety of instruments available for campers who wish to try an instrument for the first time. There are many performance opportunities each session.

Radio

Our radio program broadcasts from our short-range FM radio transmitter reach the camp community two or three times daily, including a live daily morning show. Our radio program teaches production and presentation of professional talk, news and music radio formats; along with radio plays, radio improv, comedy, and broadcasts of Ballibay rock bands and ensembles. Campers learn DJ skills in the ‘WBAY’ radio studio, as well as during our ‘DJ dances’ during the summer.

Pay in Full at time of registration:
save $100. – through April 15.

Multiple Session Discount:
save $200. per added session

Sibling Discount:
save $250. on a sibling's registration, and $500. on a 3rd sibling's registration.

10% reciprocal referral discount per family referred, no limit